1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adjustable mounting bracket for attaching one object to another object. More specifically, the present invention relates to a mounting bracket for attaching a cellular phone base station to a fixed structure, and for allowing the base station to be oriented to a desired position relative to the fixed structure.
2. Description of the Background Art
Cellular phones have become an indispensable form of communication in today's society. Many businesses rely upon this wireless technology to keep in constant communication with employ outside the office. Also, cellular phones are a great convenience to our personal lives. To this end, cellular phone service providers have established wide areas of coverage where cellular phones can be operated.
These areas of coverage are usually concentrated in areas having dense populations, for example cities, suburbs, and interstate highways. Unfortunately, the areas with dense populations often have manmade structures which act as barriers to the coverage areas. Obstacles, such as tunnels and closely-knit skyscrapers, can create areas of reduced signal strength within the coverage area. These reduced signal strength areas are often referred to as dark zones.
Cellular phone users can be greatly inconvenienced by these dark zones. For instance, the cellular phone user may be unable to place a call, or may have an active call dropped when passing through a dark zone. Adding to the inconvenience is the fact that these dark zones can occur in the very heart of the intended coverage area.
Because of these inconveniences, the cellular phone service provides have undertaken to install supplemental cellular phone base stations, or patch stations, in the dark zones. The base station is physically connected to a fixed structure adjacent the dark zone, such as a building, bridge or tunnel. Next, the base station is connected into the cellular phone service system. The addition of these supplemental base stations brightens the dark zone, so that cellular service customers can enjoy uninterrupted service.
The supplemental base station has traditionally been housed within a rather bulky box. The box housed many pounds of electrical components necessary to the base station's functions. In order to shield the electrical components, provide adequate heat dissipation, and simply support the electrical components, the box had to be formed of a rigidified material, typically aluminum. The bulkiness of the box thereby even further added to the overall weight of the base station.
During installation, two and sometime three phone service technicians were required to position the heavy base station relative to the fixed structure, such as a wall or utility pole. While the service technicians were holding the base station, another technician would attach fasteners between the base station and the fixed structure.
It should also be noted that the base station had to be aimed into an optimum area of the dark zone. To accomplish this one of two alternatives occurs. First, it was possible to align the base station to the proper horizontal and vertical angles while attaching it to the fixed structure. A second alternative was to provide a directional antenna on the exterior of the base station which could be aimed as desired. Such an antenna would have to have its own independent weather resistant housing.
Accordingly, there exists a need in the art for a mounting bracket which simplifies the installation process for mounting a cellular phone service base station to a fixed structure. There also exists the continual need in the art to provide smaller and lighter weight systems capable performing as well, or better than, their ancestral systems.